TOY STORY

01.20.12

Iran Confiscates Barbie Dolls

Carolyn Chappo / AP Photo

Ken, they're coming for you next. Iranian police have confiscated Barbie dolls and shut down dozens of toy stores for selling them, the semiofficial Mehr news agency reported Friday. Mehr quoted an unnamed police official who said this marks a "new phase" in the country's crackdown against "manifestations of Western culture." Iran has banned the sale of Barbie dolls since the mid-1990s, but the last campaign to stamp them out was in 2002. In 2008, the government again warned against the "destructive" consequences of Barbie dolls.